Chimney bees like the Mustached mud and Hibiscus bees are solitary ground nesters that have serious architectural talent! Both bees superficially resemble bumblebees in appearance. They’re fast flying, robust bees with dense yellow hairs on their thorax. (Hibiscus bees also have yellow hairs on their face.)
The pollinators we depend on are struggling. We can’t afford to lose them — they provide every third bite of food we eat. It’s up to us all to reverse their decline. But how? These new resources can help.
With interest mounting in using wildflowers in urban landscapes, there is a huge demand for information for those new to Florida’s native plants. Enter “20 Easy-to-Grow Wildflowers,” a new publication from the Florida Wildflower Foundation. The free 24-page magazine features a selection of 20 “tried and true” species that are easy to grow and maintain.
Want to draw more flitting hummingbirds and vibrant songbirds to your landscape? It’s simple. Just add wildflowers to provide nectar, seeds and insects and the birds will come.
Dr. Walter K. Taylor, University of Central Florida professor emeritus of biology, has received the Florida Wildflower Foundation’s T. Elizabeth Pate Coreopsis Award for his lifetime of contributions to La Florida, “land of flowers.”
Dr. Walter Taylor presents at the 2014 Florida Wildflower Symposium.